One dead and several people were injured after multiple shots were fired during an event at a horse racing track in Aarau, Switzerland, early Sunday. Police launched a major operation, urged people to avoid the area and continued investigating.
The scale of the emergency response indicated a significant police and rescue operation. (Reuters/Representative image)
Aarau, Switzerland, UPDATED: Aug 30, 2026 12:24 IST
At least one person was killed and five others were injured, some seriously, after multiple shots were fired during an event at a horse racing track in Schachen, Aarau, Switzerland, early Sunday morning, prompting a major police operation in the area.
The Aargau cantonal police urged residents and visitors to stay away from Aarau Schachen as emergency teams responded to the incident. Aargau cantonal police said a manhunt was underway and appealed to the public to share any photos or videos of the incident. Swiss tabloid Blick reported that the shooting took place during a rave party at the hippodrome.
In a post on X, the Aargau cantonal police said, “Aarau: Nighttime shots at event in Schachen. Several victims. Major police operation underway. Stay away from the area. More info to follow.”
(Credits: X/Aargau Cantonal Police)
The incident occurred shortly after 2.30 am local time when a large number of people were attending an event at the horse racing track. Local newspaper Blick reported that the event, called the “Aarau Rave”, was underway when the shooting took place.
GUNSHOTS HEARD BY LOCALS A video obtained by Blick appeared to capture the sound of multiple gunshots at around 2.35 am. However, the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
Vanessa Rumpold, a media spokesperson for the Aargau Cantonal Police, confirmed to Blick that the incident had taken place at the horse racing track.
“It is not yet clear what exactly happened,” Rumpold said, adding that police could currently confirm only that “several shots [were] fired at a large group of people”.
An account of the incident emerged through Blick, which reported that a woman said a friend who witnessed the shooting contacted her around 4 am and described what had happened.
According to the account cited by Blick, people at the event initially mistook the loud bangs for fireworks after seeing sparks on the ceiling. The situation changed when someone shouted, “Everyone down!”, prompting those present to take cover under the DJ booth.
The woman reportedly said a friend
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